Theegala, Bhatia and Rai advance to second play-offs event; Scheffler wins by eight shots

Memphis, Aug 17 (IANS) Scottie Scheffler rediscovered his winning touch in emphatic fashion, powering to an eight-shot victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship as three of the four Indian-origin players in the field secured their places in the BMW Championship, the second leg of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup play-offs.

The world No. 1 signed off with a four-under 66 at TPC Southwind to finish at 17-under 263 and collect his 21st PGA Tour title. It was Scheffler’s second victory of the season, following his success at The American Express in January, and extended his remarkable run of winning multiple titles in five successive seasons.

For the Indian-origin players, the week produced contrasting results.

Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala, who supported by Hero, finished outside the top 60 in Memphis, as did Aaron Rai. But all had done enough during the season to remain among the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings and progress to the BMW Championship. Bhatia is 15th, Rai 37th and Theegala 46th. Their rankings also guarantee them starts in all the $20-million Signature Events next season.

Bhatia closed with a 76 to finish 68th, Rai shot 78 and was 63rd, while Theegala’s 71 left him 67th.

For Sudarshan Yellamaraju, the playoffs ended despite an encouraging week. The Indo-Canadian rookie was inside the top 10 after the opening two rounds but slipped to tied 47th after a final-round 71. He finished 58th in the FedEx Cup standings, with only the top 50 progressing to the BMW Championship.

Still, Yellamaraju’s rookie season has been a breakthrough campaign, marked by strong results and qualification for the playoffs.

Scheffler, meanwhile, now has two wins, five runner-up finishes and five other top-four results from 18 starts this season. He has made 17 cuts, with every one producing a top-25 finish, and his latest triumph puts him firmly in the running for a fifth straight PGA Tour Player of the Year award.

Scheffler’s victory was never seriously threatened after his brilliant second-round 61 had opened up a sizeable advantage. Even when his lead was briefly reduced to one after a bunker shot struck a sprinkler and rolled into water, the American responded immediately with back-to-back birdies.

He first knocked an iron to within 10 feet and converted for birdie before draining a 20-footer on the following hole. The response effectively ended any hopes of a comeback.

Scheffler winning by eight shots became only the fifth player in the last four decades to record multiple PGA Tour victories by eight or more shots, joining Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy.

South Korea’s Si Woo Kim finished a distant second at nine-under after a closing 68, while Sam Burns and Alex Noren shared third at eight-under.

Scheffler also strengthened his already commanding position in the FedEx Cup standings. He entered the week 794 points clear of Matt Fitzpatrick and added another 750 with the victory, stretching his advantage to 1,447 points. As the BMW Championship winner can earn a maximum of 750 points, Scheffler has already secured the top spot heading into the season-ending TOUR Championship.

–IANS

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